Thompson of Green Bay named executive of the year.

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Posted March 26, 2008

Thompson garners top executive honor

Ted Thompson, the Green Bay Packers' general manager, has been named NFL executive of the year by Sporting News.

Thompson's three-year effort to rebuild the Packers' roster boosted the team from 4-12 in 2005 to within one win of the Super Bowl last season. He received 19 of 48 votes cast by NFL general managers and other executives. New York Giants GM Jerry Reese was second with nine votes.

"Ted understands every aspect of how an organization works. That's why he was able to put together a winning team so quickly," former Packers GM Ron Wolf said in a statement issued by the Packers.

Wolf received the award in 1992, the same year he hired Thompson as assistant director of pro personnel.

Thompson also was the Packers' director of pro personnel from 1993 to 1997, then director of player personnel until 1999. He spent five seasons as vice president of football operations for the Seattle Seahawks, then was hired as the Packers' GM in 2005.

The award is named after former Giants executive George Young.

"I'm honored to receive this award on behalf of the Green Bay Packers," Thompson told the team's Web site. "We view this as a team honor and feel the coaches, players and staff should all be very proud of the job they've done in helping this franchise succeed. This award is a credit to their dedication and is particularly special because it's named for George Young, who was a tremendous champion for the NFL and a person I greatly admired."

Coverage of the award appears in the March 31 issue of Sporting News, which reaches newsstands today.